Giving Up
by CrystalMaiden77
Summary: Losing the Metal Overlord fight broke him, in more ways than one. Another prequel to The Rescue Mission.


" This will be my _greatest_ _plan yet!_ " Eggman exclaimed confidently, as he walked towards a dark storage room in the Final Fortress base with Metal Sonic following him in annoyance. " Just you wait, Metal Sonic. My plans for world domination will _finally_ come to fruition! I've made an entire army of androids based on Shadow the Hedgehog, I have an entire fleet of airships under my command, and my Egg Emperor machine is remarkable in every aspect! There will be no losing to that cocky speedster this time! This time, I'm _finally_ going to win! " Eggman said happily as he went into the room, failing to notice Metal Sonic's increasingly irritated disposition.

As Eggman started searching through the capsules and taking out the engineering materials he wanted, there was a brief silence before Metal Sonic questioned with his arms crossed, " So where do _I_ come in? " The robot's voice was almost identical to Sonic's, but with the pitch slightly deeper, and he spoke in a more formal and coldly logical manner than him.

Eggman looked over at him in confusion. " What do you mean? " he asked. Sounding increasingly resentful, Metal Sonic replied, " You spent all this time talking about all the machines you would be sending against Sonic to ensure _your_ victory. But where do _I_ come in? " He was glaring at him by this point, his eyes getting a little brighter with their infamous red color.

Used to his robot's negativity and insults, Eggman thought nothing of it and shrugged, saying nonchalantly, " Oh, your time will come eventually, Metal Sonic. But not quite yet. " Metal questioned, " Why?! " Eggman was surprised by him raising his voice at him. But instead of being intimidated or even scolding him, he dismissed it as him being in a bad mood, and answered casually, " I just sent a robot based on Sonic against him a few months ago! There needs to be a cool-off time! Otherwise, instead of _basking_ in _awe_ of my engineering _genius,_ Sonic would just roll his eyes at me sending a robot version of him against him again. "

" Oh, you mean that mindless, ' Silver Sonic?! ' " Metal Sonic complained, no longer having his arms crossed. " Why are you making such a big deal out of this? " Eggman questioned, thinking he was overreacting. Simmering with rage by that point, Metal Sonic snapped at him, " Because it IS a big deal! How could you send him instead of me?! You've told me for my _entire_ _life_ that I'm the most powerful robot you have and you spent _three years_ without sending me against him, and instead of sending me, you sent him, that mindless machine based on Sonic that you said so yourself was _vastly_ _inferior_ to me! And when I told you off for it afterwards, and you said you'd send me against Sonic again, you sent me to compete with him in _pinball!_ You could've sent ANYONE to do that mission! Why the hell did you send me?! What are you saying about me? That I'm a failure? That you've lost faith in me? Were you trying to mock me?! You know how important it is to me that I prove to Sonic my worth, and you pass over the most dedicated of your robots for that worthless machine and send me to compete with him in something that _anyone_ could do! How could you do that to me?! "

It was by this point that Eggman started getting scared. He wasn't used to Metal Sonic being that angry with him. He had been in a foul mood plenty of times, but he never got to the point of ranting at him. His red eyes were glowing brightly in pent-up rage, not enough that it implied he was ready to attack, but enough to be very intimidating in the dark room they were in. Worrying that his most powerful robot was going to attack him, Eggman stammered while frightened, " H-Hey, calm down! R-Remember who you're talking to! I'm your master, remember?! "

" You _always_ pull the ' master ' card, _don't_ you?! Always ordering me around and dismissing my opinions as being too negative and you think you're _always_ right! " Metal Sonic exclaimed. It was becoming clear that he had been holding that back for quite a long time, expressing the rage he had bottled up from years of working for him. Eggman was offended at the criticism, but he was too afraid to tell him he thought he was wrong. Shaking by this point, he reminded him, " I'm your creator, remember?! I'm the one who _made_ you! I'm the one who gives you a safe place to stay! There's benefits to working for me! You owe me! I even give you upgrades, and more than any other robot I've ever built! Why, I just upgraded you last week! Remember?! " saying anything he could to prevent him from turning against him.

Driven over the edge by that point, Metal Sonic replied spitefully, " Yeah, you did! A _shapeshifting_ upgrade, that lets me transform into whoever I want as long as I have their DNA! And you know what, boss?! I've got YOURS! " Eggman gasped and exclaimed in horror, " You wouldn't- "

" Yes, I would! I'm DONE waiting for it! I'm _done_ waiting on you! I've spent three _years_ training and waiting for you to send me to fight Sonic again and I'm SICK of it! To _hell_ with you! I don't need you! I'll prove myself to him whether you like it or not! If you won't send me to fight Sonic again, I'll do it myself and I'll do a better job than you EVER will! " Metal Sonic shouted at him, shaking with rage and driven past the breaking point. But instead of attacking him and disposing of him like Eggman had feared, he slammed the only door out of the storage room shut and locked it before flying away from him, trapping him in a dark room alone.

Eggman couldn't believe what had just happened. He had always known that Metal Sonic had developed an inferiority complex, but he never thought it would drive him to betray his own creator. " I should've known he would use that shapeshifting ability to impersonate me… " Eggman muttered, annoyed with himself as well as the robot who betrayed him. " But at least I'm still alive. Why didn't he kill me? I let him have free will so that he could be a better match to Sonic and carry out missions without having to be instructed on every little thing. But if his free will led him to imprison me, why didn't he attack me? He'd go as far as to imprison and impersonate his own creator, but he wouldn't kill me in his fit of rage? I didn't put programming in him to not do that, so what on earth was holding him back?! " Eggman wondered out loud, confused about why his ultimate soldier, his most powerful killing machine, didn't want to kill him.

" Is he ever going to let me out?... He has to! I'd starve and dehydrate if he didn't, and if he wanted me to die, he would've attacked me! So that means he's imprisoning me temporarily until he beats Sonic… Who knows how long that could take?! Sure, he's going to be using the plan that _I_ thought up with my _genius,_ but if he fails, who knows how long I'll be in here?! And even if he doesn't, I don't want him to steal my victory over Sonic! Arrgh, that belligerent troublemaker! Well, if he thinks I'm going to stay in here, he's got another thing coming! "

Eggman pulled out of a pocket in his red jacket a red walky-talky. He muttered, " It's a good thing I assigned Orbot to mail that walky-talky to the Chaotix before I was thrown in here. Now all I have to do is wait… " He sat down on the floor, sighed in impatience, and said angrily, " When I see that traitor again, I'm going to make sure he'll never betray me again! "

Three days had passed after Metal Sonic started impersonating his creator. It was just after the Metal Overlord fight, and Metal Sonic had been brought back to his room in Eggman's base by one of the robots after being given to them by Omega. He had passed out from exhaustion and damage, and when he woke up, he was lying in his bed. His bedroom had dark gray walls, a gray floor and a gray ceiling, and contained a bed with black blankets, a gray closet with books hidden in it, and a gray table. He sighed wearily. With all the damage he was given, he was in too much pain to stand, and could only succeed in sitting up.

Eggman walked into the room and asked with his arms crossed, " So is there anything you'd like to say to me about what happened recently? " looking at him like a disapproving parent. He clearly wanted an apology; at best, him being begged for forgiveness for his misbehavior. Then he planned to simply let him off with a warning that he'd be in serious trouble if he ever did it again, assuming that Metal would get a much better opinion of his master for being merciful to him and never betray him again to repay him. Of course, he was doubtful that he would get any sort of remorse from Metal Sonic after what just happened, and was mostly just approaching him to remind him that he had disobeyed his own creator and intimidate him because of that.

To his surprise, instead of looking angry, Metal Sonic looked completely miserable. With a sad and depressed tone, he said quietly in resignation, " I shouldn't have even _bothered._ " Eggman was confused by this, and said, " Huh?! What do you mean?! "

" I just wanted to beat Sonic and prove myself, for _once._ But why did I _bother?_ Of _course_ I lost. I've _never_ going to win. It was all just a pointless waste of time that only served to remind me of the futility of my goal... Beating him is my _only_ purpose. If I can't do that even once... then what am I worth?... W-What's the point of it all? I-I'm supposed to be _better_ than him. It's what I was always told to believe, but every single time I test the validity of that statement to validate my own EXISTENCE, it's proven false... Sonic was right. I'm just an inferior version of him, a worthless _imitation,_ obsolete from the day I was built, a _pathetic_ _wannabe_ and nothing more. I was made to be _more_ than that. I was made to be a superior version of Sonic who would defeat him but I can't be _either_ of those things! I never should've existed! I... I'm nothing but a failure... " Metal Sonic said sadly, with his voice cracking by the end of it. His dim red eyes seemed to look like reflective rippling pools of water as opposed to glowing LED lights, with the pupils having a small white light in them like real eyes. If Eggman didn't know any better, he'd think that his robot was crying. He didn't have any tear ducts, so he couldn't have any sort of tears, but it was clear just how miserable he was. He was driven into despair. Someone with the exact same amount of determination as Sonic, was driven into despair. _That_ meant a _lot._

Metal buried his face in his pillow and gasped sharply, almost as if he was going to start sobbing, and said sadly with his voice breaking, " I can't do this anymore... I can't keep trying to fulfill my goal when that's clearly _never_ going to happen! I-It's all pointless... I-I-I, I just don't feel like doing _anything_ anymore. I don't _care_ what punishment I get threatened with. I don't care if you scrap me. In fact, go ahead! Go ahead and scrap me! Put me out of my misery! Don't waste your time repairing me! Just scrap me! " He broke down crying, gasping and sniffling, trying to be as quiet as he could because he was humiliated enough that day.

" ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?! I can't scrap you, you're my GREATEST CREATION! " Eggman exclaimed, finally being faced with the fact that his most valued robot had been driven into depression. There was a shocked silence from Metal Sonic at hearing his response. " But why?! W-Why would you repair me after what happened?! I-I, I failed, and, I did things you disapproved of, and... You must _hate_ me! _Everyone_ must hate me! " Metal Sonic exclaimed, being certain that betraying Eggman meant that he had lost the respect of even everyone on his own side. Being hated by everyone not on Eggman's side was bad enough. The thought that he had no one left who didn't despise him, was unbearable.

" That's nonsense! My robots aren't going to stop admiring you just because you went too far to try to _complete_ _your programmed objective!_ It's not like you outright killed me. You're my second in command, my greatest creation! Of course they don't hate you! And I... " Eggman told him. He sighed at looking like he had gone soft before sitting beside him and admitting, " I'd never hate you... "

Confused, Metal asked, " What? Why? " knowing that he had expressed hatred of some of his _other_ robots for failing. " You're the robot I'm most proud of! You're the best one I ever made! All of my combat robots are made to defeat Sonic, but you're the one who is _most_ _suited_ to _match_ _him_ in _every_ aspect! You're just as fast as him, you can do the same attacks as him, you're intelligent enough to have a good fighting strategy and analyze his own, and you even have abilities that he doesn't! Who cares if you care about beating him a little too much?! That's your purpose in life! Even if you disobey me, you're still my best possible option for a robot to send out against Sonic! " Eggman exclaimed with a smile, making it clear that he was still proud of him.

" T-Then why do you barely ever send me to fight him? A-And why do you send _other_ robots to fight him? " Metal Sonic asked sadly, clearly still crying. He thought Eggman had lost all faith in him. While he still thought of Eggman as an incompetent idiot, the idea that anyone would have so little respect for him as to lose all faith in him still hurt no matter who was thinking it.

" I save my _best_ _robot_ for _special_ _occasions!_ And it would be boring if I just sent the same robot every time! Not to mention it would take _forever_ because I'd have to repair you if you lost and I can't just not send any other robots in the meantime! " Eggman exclaimed happily. Then, he sighed unhappily at potentially looking like he'd gone soft, and admitted with a proud smile,

" Besides, I've had you around for 3 years by this point. 3 whole years! You've been working for me almost as long as Sonic's been fighting me! Of course I don't wanna scrap you! When you've had someone on your side for so long, you... you grow attached... You can't help but care about them. " Metal Sonic looked at him with dimmed sad eyes, trying to process what was being said. Did he really mean that?

And then it happened. Eggman proved the truth of what he had said, by coming close to him and putting his arms around him in a hug. Metal Sonic couldn't believe it was really happening. One minute, his creator was sitting beside him, and the next, he found himself being held close to his chest in a warm embrace. It only took a second for him to return the hug by placing his hands over his shoulders and start crying into his chest, savoring the rare display of affection from the closest person he had to a father as much as he could. Eggman didn't want to look like he had gone soft, so admitting that he truly cared about one of his robots must have been difficult for him. He wouldn't bother going through something so difficult if he didn't actually mean it.

" W-Why didn't you tell me? Why… why did it take _so_ _long_? I… I just don't understand… All my life… I-I don't know if you care about me or not. You've always treated me better than all of the other robots. You don't punish me and you compliment my skills, and you give me upgrades on Christmas and on my _birthday,_ which you don't do with _anyone_ else! You would _never_ want me to be damaged or irreparably destroyed… but does that _really_ mean you value my life, when you don't even think I have a life to be valued?... You can not want an object that you own to get damaged or destroyed, but that doesn't mean you care about it like you would a person! " Metal Sonic said sadly. By the end of it, he had started to get an upset and frustrated tone in his voice. He continued with resentment,

" Am I… am I just an item to you?... You don't see me as a person, you see me as an object, a tool, your property! You only value me when it relates to how useful I can be to you! You don't care about me! You don't care about me like you would a person with feelings and opinions and a mind of his own! Do you have any idea how much that hurts? You don't see me as a person! Even though _you_ were the one who _created_ me, you don't see me as your _son!_ " And that was the breaking point. He had ranted at Eggman with increasing frustration that slightly worried him, but when he finally said the word, " son, " his voice cracked, and he completely lost his composure, and broke down sobbing into his chest, releasing the feelings that he had kept bottled up for so long. And just like that, Eggman went from being nervous and annoyed at hearing his own robot angrily rant at him to struck speechless at his heartfelt confession. He thought, " _Son?..._ _Is that what this was all about?_ "

Feeling ashamed and annoyed with himself for what he had just implied, and knowing that he couldn't take it back now, Metal Sonic continued, forcing a frustrated tone into his sad and cracking voice, " So now you know how pathetic I am. I'm still the same young and confused robot I was when I was five days old and I told you how I felt about you! I still remember that day, even if you don't! I told you that you were like a father to me and you just laughed it off, and said that I was just a machine! I should've stopped caring about you right then and there, I should've been more logical and completely hated you, but I couldn't. You're the one who gave me life. You're the reason I exist. And you're the one who raised me. Of course you're like a father to me! You _are_ my father! I… Why _else_ did you think that all I did was lock you in that room? I could _never_ bring myself to hurt you! I'd never want _anything_ to happen to you! I could _never_ hate you, I can only _resent_ you! Even though after _all_ these years, I should've stopped having these weak and irrational and illogical feelings about you a long time ago! I'm a logical-minded robot and _this_ is how I think?!... I'm such a fool… "

" You're not a fool! " Eggman exclaimed at last, feeling sorry for him in spite of himself. Even he couldn't help but find it heartwarming that his most powerful robot, and the one who had so recently betrayed him, was now telling him how much he loved him. He had just given off the implication that he hated him by betraying him like that, and even he had to admit that he was upset and hurt about the fact that his favorite robot, the one he treated better than any other and was more proud of than any other, had seemingly turned against him after everything he did for him. And now Metal Sonic was revealing the exact opposite, that he cared about him far more than he was willing to admit, and was showing nothing but frustration with himself for it. He couldn't stand hearing him insult himself for it any longer. While he was still shocked that a robot was capable of feeling that way and wasn't quite sure what to think of it, he appreciated it regardless, and he had to let him know.

" Huh? " Metal Sonic whimpered with a cracking voice in response, looking up at him in confusion. " Look, Metal, I'm… I'm sorry. I was wrong to just laugh it off as you being young and confused. I should've realized it was more than just that. I based your mind off the brain of an organic being, so it only makes sense that you would have an instinctive sense of a father figure, and you're absolutely right, I fit that description perfectly. I'm the one who gave you life, and I'm the one who's raising you and made you who you are today. Sure, you may not be my biological son, but that shouldn't really matter, should it? After all, even if I had one, he'd just be a regular human who wouldn't be even close to as powerful and durable as you! He'd _never_ be able to measure up to my _greatest_ _creation!_ Humans are a lot more fragile and they're capable of a lot less. Even I'll admit that. By that alone, you'd be superior to any biological son I could ever have. And perhaps, in a way, I've always known that. I mean, why else did you think I made you my heir? It's not just because you're the most intelligent robot, it's because I'm more proud of you than any regular son I could ever have! _Everything_ _about_ _you_ is a reflection of my _greatness_ , from your abilities to your personality to your high defenses! Of course I'm proud of you. Even though you betrayed me, that doesn't change the fact that I'm proud of you. If you being capable of betraying me is the price to pay for having an intelligent sentient free-willed robot that can carry on my legacy, then I say it's worth it! " Eggman told him, going from genuinely sad and remorseful to happily expressing a fatherly pride in him as the robot continued to cry into his chest.

" Do you… do you really mean that? " Metal Sonic said sadly after a few seconds, letting it all sink in. It sounded too good to be true, so he couldn't help but worry that he was only saying it all to manipulate him, and hoped that being blunt enough to ask him to reaffirm it would confirm its validity. " Yes I do. I'm proud of you, and there's no hard feelings at all. It's clear that you were under a lot of stress and it caused you to do something rash. It wasn't out of genuine hatred for your master, so I can forgive you for it… " Eggman replied softly, still holding him close to him. The robot was made of hard metal, but he was just as warm as Sonic would've been, so it was surprisingly pleasant to hold him close to him. Of course, he still didn't want anyone else to find out what he was doing and think he had gone soft.

" I'm sorry… " Metal Sonic whispered, in a sad and slightly cracking voice. Eggman was struck speechless by those heartfelt words. He had never expected Metal Sonic to apologize to him. He was never the type to take responsibility for his wrongdoings or even acknowledge the impact he had in doing them. In fact, he usually only said sorry when he didn't have to, like saying sorry for getting all worked up or making a verbal mistake. So to hear him genuinely express guilt and remorse for his own actions for the first time, meant a lot.

" I didn't know you cared about me that much. I-I didn't think you cared at all! I… It wasn't about you, for the most part anyway. It was about Sonic, and how stressful it was trying to measure up to him. Y-You don't know how much pressure it is being based off someone else, especially someone so skilled and with such a good reputation, who I'm supposed to be superior to, because if I'm inferior to him, then what am I worth?! I couldn't take the feelings of inferiority anymore and I just snapped, and, I felt like you'd never send me on another fight with him again, because you hadn't done that in three years and I couldn't wait any longer. It wasn't about you! It was about Sonic and my envy of him! I wasn't thinking clearly, I couldn't take it anymore, and you ended up being a victim of it all, and after everything you did for me!... You may not have treated me like a father, but you still treated me the best, and I took you for granted! I wanted more! I, I'm sorry! " Metal Sonic explained to him sadly, finally breaking down crying unable to continue speaking by the end of it.

Eggman sighed, and said to him reluctantly while gently stroking the top of his head with his right hand and holding him close with his left, " Maybe I should've been a better father to you. I'm the one who fills that role, whether I intended to from the beginning or not, so I should've at least tried harder to act like it. It's just that I didn't want to look like I had gone soft. I'm already treating you with enough favoritism as it is! I'm not sure how much further I could go. Maybe spending so little time with you was neglectful of me, I suppose. "

" It's not your fault… " Metal Sonic said quietly, feeling guilty. Eggman looked at him in surprise, and the robot explained, " You can't help being busy. Even if you didn't have all of those _plans_ , you'd still be too busy. Just running the base alone is a full-time job! I can't believe you have _any_ free time with all the work that requires! It's not your fault. You didn't choose to be who you are, and in the position you are in. Considering how busy you were, and the fact that I'm just your robot, you were the best father you could've ever been to me… I don't really want you to go out of your way to spend time with me, since we both have different ways of passing the time. I have my interests, and you have yours. W-What I really wanted was for you to acknowledge me as a person, a part of your family, someone who's important to you. I just wanted a little more proof that you cared. A pat on the back or a handshake, or something like that! I know you don't want to look like you've gone soft, and I don't either, believe me, but that doesn't mean you can't at least show me you care more often when we're alone. Like… like this… I really appreciate this… " He smiled, feeling comforted by being in his creator's embrace. While a part of him was still embarrassed and annoyed with himself for being weak and lonely enough to even want to be shown affection, let alone need it, he couldn't help but show his appreciation for it after several minutes of hearing his creator make it clear that it was okay.

" I love you, son… " Eggman finally said to him, in a quiet but pleased voice that made it clear how proud he was of him. After a shocked silence for two seconds where he let it sink in that Eggman had finally said that to him in his life, Metal Sonic smiled happily and said in a comforted and quiet voice, " I love you too, Dad… "

After another minute had passed where he gradually stopped crying, being comforted in his creator's arms, he smiled a little, although still feeling depressed from being driven into despair and losing all will to live. He was still miserable, but being shown love and compassion from his father for what felt like the first time was enough to make him happy enough to distract him from his depression, at least for a little while.

" I won't tell anyone, Master, " he said appreciatively. Eggman smiled softly at hearing that. That was one of the only times Metal Sonic had ever called him such a respectful name as ' Master. ' The only other time was when he promised Metal Sonic he would never again make him get into a race with Sonic where he would slam into an electrified wall if he lost, so him calling him Master meant a lot, and both of them understood that. He carefully ended the hug, relieved that Metal Sonic appreciated the kindness he was showing him, and placed his hands on the robot's shoulders.

" Good. So now do you understand? I'm _never_ going to scrap you. I'm not going to throw you away and then replace you with another Metal Sonic. In fact, I wouldn't even _consider_ it, because I already _have_ a Metal Sonic, and I could _never_ get a better robot then him! So I'm repairing the damage that Sonic did to you as soon as possible! You'll be good as new! As for any punishment I could give, I think that losing to Sonic is punishment enough. " Eggman said. Just then, a few paramedic robots came in carrying a stretcher, and brought Metal Sonic to the repair room.

As he watched Metal Sonic get taken out of the room, Eggman sighed and shook his head. Sonic hadn't just damaged his body. He had been driven into a nervous breakdown because of losing to him so much. Eggman knew that he couldn't have Metal Sonic too depressed to do anything, so he had no choice but to fix his programming, restoring his motivation and confidence to get him out of that depression and fixing his obsession with surpassing him to make him more tolerant of not being sent to fight Sonic for long periods of time and ensure he wouldn't snap from impatience again. He would install programming that would detect any feelings of inferiority to Sonic and pre-emptively stop the anxiety that would result from it. He couldn't make him completely obedient to him, since his ability to make his own decisions was an outright requirement for him being intelligent enough to complete most of his missions and match Sonic in a fight, and he falsely assumed from Metal Sonic's thankful reaction to hearing him admit that he cared for him that Metal Sonic still liked and admired him. So he wasn't going to completely reprogram Metal Sonic; simply fix the damage that his mental breakdown from Sonic's victories had caused. " He may be a troublemaker… " Eggman said reluctantly, " but he's still my greatest creation. "

Author's Notes: Just in case you're confused, the " Silver Sonic " mentioned in the story is a reference to the Silver Sonic fight in Sonic Pocket Adventure, which took place between SA1 and SA2. Hey, there's no proof that the game isn't canon. And we did see a Silver Sonic Mk II in a tube in SA1, so it was foreshadowed. Sorry if I made Metal show too much weakness in this story, I hope that him telling Eggman off at the start of it makes up for that. You gotta admit that rant at him was kinda awesome.


End file.
